Living a Life in Balance
Internal Family Systems (IFS) Explained: How Our Parts Help Us Heal
With Richard Schwartz, PhD
Richard Schwartz explains Internal Family Systems, protective parts, and how curiosity can help us understand inner conflict.
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Internal Family Systems (IFS) Explained: How Our Parts Help Us Heal
Richard Schwartz, PhD
Inside this conversation
Dr. Richard Schwartz’s Childhood, Family & Path to Psychotherapy
How Internal Family Systems (IFS) Was Discovered
Childhood Loneliness, Family Dynamics & Emotional Pain
More themes
- How Protective Parts Develop to Cope With Fear & Criticism
- Using IFS to Understand Our Own Family Dynamics
- Discovering the “Parts” Within Us
- IFS Explained: Protectors, Exiles & the Inner World
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The guest
Richard Schwartz, PhD
Richard C. Schwartz, PhD, is a family therapist, the creator of Internal Family Systems (IFS) and the founder of the IFS Institute. His books include No Bad Parts and Internal Family Systems Therapy. His work explores how people relate to protective and vulnerable parts of themselves, with curiosity and compassion central to the model. Read his official biography at the IFS Institute.
From the host
Reflections on the conversation
What stayed with me from this conversation
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Speaking with Richard Schwartz, PhD, I was struck by the way this conversation connected parts, protection and the possibility of approaching inner conflict with greater curiosity. These subjects are often discussed separately, although in a person’s life they can influence one another continuously.
The most valuable aspect for me is the refusal to treat a difficult reaction as evidence that a person is broken. Protective responses usually developed for a reason. Understanding their function can create more choice without denying the pain or consequences involved.
This conversation also reinforced the importance of adapting treatment to the person. A model can provide language and structure, but it should remain a tool in service of the individual rather than become an identity imposed on them.
My broader reflection is that balance is not a fixed destination. It is the capacity to notice what is happening, understand what may be driving it and respond with greater awareness. Professional support can help create that capacity, but it must remain grounded in the person’s circumstances, choices and safety.
Episode summary
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Richard C. Schwartz, Ph.D., joins me on Living a Life in Balance to explore Internal Family Systems (IFS), the therapeutic model he developed to help people understand and work with the different parts of themselves.
In this conversation, Richard explains how his early work with people struggling with eating disorders led him to discover the concept of parts, and how his own childhood experiences shaped his understanding of protection, fear, and emotional pain.
Together, Abdullah and Richard explore what IFS can teach us about protectors, exiles, and the Self, including why Richard believes there are “no bad parts” and how even the most difficult thoughts, emotions, and behaviors can have a protective intention.
Richard also guides Abdullah through a live IFS exercise, offering a practical glimpse into how the approach can help us connect with parts of ourselves that may have been carrying pain for years.
Throughout the discussion, we return to the importance of looking beneath visible symptoms or behaviors. The aim is not to force one explanation onto every experience, but to understand the combination of history, relationships, body, environment and meaning that may be relevant for this individual.
The full transcript
Original-language transcript · EN